Indian Paint Brush Wildflower

This orange flower is called the Indian Paint Brush which seems kind of weird as it doens't look like an Indian or a paint brush. It is common on the desert all over New Mexico.

Roe-Dee-Oh :: Chaos and Confusion

Sunday, August 21st - - The final event of the day was something called a Wild Horse Race. There were seven or eight teams, which made for a wild melee. The premise was to release the horses from the gate with a long rope about their necks. The teams then had to saddle the wild horse and one rider had to mount it and ride it across the arena and back to the gate.



Sounds simple enough but the execution was nearly impossible. From the git-go the horses were in command - as soon as the gates opened they were dragging men on the ground at the end of their ropes, running every which way. Some were able to get the saddles on right away but as soon as a rider mounted he was thrown off. Some never got their horse saddled. There were a few riders who got on but they didn't stay on very long. Unlike Marlboro Man's Team, no one was able to ride their horse across the arena although one fellow did manage to ride along the perimeter for some distance before being tossed off!













Near the end, the Wild Horses ran around riderless for a few minutes, with riders and teammates chasing them, then the announcer said it was all over. I think we were all a bit relieved, participants and audience members alike!



There were some injuries, hopefully none were serious, but the EMT's were out on the field attending to the fallen riders as we left the arena.

Morning Sunrays

Offord Cluny, Paxton Pits and the Ouse Valley Way

Led by Barry. Maureen, Eddie and me. Fine with a few drops of rain. Quite windy in parts. Lovely flat waterside walk - Paxton Pits and Ouse Valley Way. 10.5 miles. 71 ft of "climbing".




We set off from Offord Cluny, taking a footpath past the church, which is open, so we go in.



The church is fairly plain, but I like this window.

The window is dedicated to the memory of all those airmen and airwomen

who served with 35 squadron RAF Graveley 1939-45

The path continues across another field towards the mainline railway - a quick pause to say hi to this foal.

hoping for food no doubt - and disappointed.

We note that the light for the rail crossing is green, so we follow instructions and cross quickly.It's a pretty busy line.

Then a bridge over a couple of weirs, and over the locks to the narrow road by the Old Flour Mill and the road bridge, with views over some riverside bungalows.



We turn left and follow the footpath marked on the OS map as following Diddington Brook. It goes southwest for a while then turns left and heads south to the tiny village of Diddington.

We walk past a row of semis and a thatched cottage, before going diagonally left over a field then following the field boundaries, right, left, right and walk south past the bumps and hollows of the site of the medieval village of Boughton.

medieval
village – site of

Shortly after this we pass a farm with a dovecote and a collection of outbuildings.



Soon there are signs of a disused gravel pit - still plenty of gravel there.



We follow the path south through woodland with glimpses of watery ex-gravel pits, look around for woodpecker holes, and then go to the Visitor Centre for a welcome cup of coffee.



It's Little Paxton Scarecrow Festival on Saturday, and these characters are in evidence.

Ok, which ones are the scarecrows??

There are various exhibits in the centre, including this magnificent mammoth jawbone which was found in the quarry workings at Paxton Pits in August 2000.



We leave the visitor centre and make our way through some streets on the edge of Little Paxton - scarecrows are still hanging around.









We don't have time to look for Bo-bo the clown today, so we follow the footpath until it meets the Ouse Valley Way.



We turn left and follow the river Great Ouse downstream for three miles or so. All very peaceful, with a few water birds - geese (not sure if they were greylag or pinkfooted - I couldn't see their feet anyway!), and swans on the river.

Eddie strolling before he puts the hammer down.

Offord D'Arcy church


Unless we're prepared to swim, we have to go the long way round.

We were told that this heron spends a lot of time here.

We follow the Ouse Valley Way until it meets the road and we retrace our steps to Offord Cluny.

The road bridge

Brown Bonnet Cottage

Wildlife - lots of birdsong, including some very striking singing, just inside one of the woodland areas - quite a small bird, but it was against the light and high up, so I haven't much to go on. Should have recorded its song - that's what phones are for! Lots of birds on the lakes - tufted duck, geese, swans, a couple of great crested grebe - oh and the heron, who posed for ages, but was just too far away.

Zipcar... Not at All Like Bikeshare

So, we have finally signed up for Zipcar, and I thought it might be useful to share my impressions. While I had imagined a motorised version of a bikeshare program, Zipcar is a different thing entirely.



Here is how it works: First you buy a yearly membership. It is worth noting that some employers have programs for employees to try it free, which was the case with us - but otherwise it's $60 per year plus a $25 application fee (so essentially you pay $85 to sign up). You are then able to rent a Zipcar by the hour at rates that start at $7.50 per hour. The rate depends on the type of car you need. So, for instance, a compact sedan might be $7.50, but a truck or SUV would be more like $12. You can also rent a Zipcar for an entire day, and the daily rates start from $69. To use a car you must reserve it, which can be done online or via smartphone. You specify in advance the exact time you will be getting and returning the car, and when finished, you must return the car to the same location from which you got it.



I can see how this system would be useful for those who need a car for short and pre-planned trips to the grocery/ hardware/ furniture store, or for meetings with clients that are short and finite in nature. However, our needs are different and there is no way Zipcar would work for us in most circumstances.



Scenario 1: We need to go to our photo studio or to a photoshoot in a far-off location, and to bring a bunch of enormous equipment with us. We will then be staying there for 5 hours working, maybe longer - depends how it goes. And it's the weekend.



Problems: We'd have to rent the car for en entire day, because at the hourly rate it would not be worth it. Either way, the rate would be quite high, because we'd need a large vehicle. Additionally Zipcar's weekend rates are higher than weekday rates, which would make the fee greater still. Car rental makes more sense than Zipcar.



Scenario 2: There is an urgent situation and we need a car right away.



Problems: We check the Zipcar reservation site and there are no cars available in any locations within 2 miles from us for the next hour and a half (This is true: I just checked). We also do not know for how long we need the car - could be 45 minutes, or could be 3 hours.A taxi makes more sense than Zipcar.



So... since 90% of the times we need a car, it is one of the above scenarios, Zipcar is not really the right choice for us. However, I think that if Zipcar worked more like a bikeshare program, it could be more useful for everyone.In many areas, there is a dense grid of Zipcar locations - so why not make it so that a car can be checked out from one location and returned to another? I am sure there are good logistical reasons why this is not done, and as always no system is perfect. I hope this was useful for those considering a Zipcar membership and wondering how the system works.

Meadow

this the nice meadow that Teakettle Rock is in.

3/9 Friday Pit Profile